Contribution à la lutte contre l’insalubrité liée aux bouteilles en plastique dans la ville de Kisangani en République Démocratique du Congo. Etude menée dans la commune de Tshopo

The town of Kisangani, in the Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is facing a major sanitation challenge due to the accumulation of plastic waste, particularly plastic bottles. Not only does this waste pollute the environment, it also poses a risk to public health and harms biodiversity. To combat this problem, a number of initiatives can be put in place. First and foremost, it's essential to raise public awareness of the dangers of plastic waste and the importance of recycling it. Educational campaigns can also be organized in schools and communities to encourage responsible behavior in terms of waste consumption and disposal. This study was carried out to determine the sources of insalubrity linked to plastic bottles in the city of Kisangani, to identify the consequences of insalubrity in the city of Kisangani and to develop methods, techniques and strategies to combat this type of insalubrity in the city of Kisangani. This is a cross-sectional qualitative descriptive study. The study population consisted of randomly selected residents of six of the city's communes. Interviews were used to collect data on the basis of a pre-established questionnaire. In addition, the data was supplemented by an analysis of documents from the roads and drainage department and the urban planning and housing department. The data collected showed that the causes of insalubrity linked to plastic bottles in the city of Kisangani are shared between the public services and the population. Insalubrity linked to plastic also presents a number of dangers for human health, the environment and biodiversity, including air and water pollution, soil defertilization, insect proliferation and certain pathogens facilitating the transmission of certain infectious diseases. Several solutions were proposed by the respondents, such as the use of SALONGO every Wednesday and Saturday, a forced sanitation program advocated by the public authorities, the installation of public garbage cans, the organization of a state-run waste collection and disposal system on every avenue; and some were founded to the public authorities, notably the valorization of plastic waste into products with energy value, the valorization of plastic waste into building materials to make the commune of Tshopo salubrious.